By Kevin Sweeney

The North Florida Ospreys controlled all facets of the game from the opening tip in a convincing 107-71 win over NJIT.  Demarcus Daniels led the charge with 25 points off the bench for the Ospreys. 

The teams came into the game trending in opposite directions. NJIT entered the game having won 5 straight, while North Florida had lost 4 in a row coming in to tonight’s contest. With both teams entering the game tied for first place in the Atlantic Sun Conference, they recognized the importance of tonight’s game. North Florida took control from the get-go and never looked back. 

Nicknamed the “Birds of Trey” for their 3-point shooting prowess, North Florida lived up to the billing tonight, shooting 17-29 from downtown. Daniels led the charge, drilling 4-6 from distance. Chris Davenport and Aaron Bodager each knocked down 3 3-pointers as well. This was the second time that North Florida lit up the Highlanders from behind the arc. In their first meeting, the Ospreys knocked down a whopping 20 3’s. 

Another area in which the Ospreys asserted dominance was in the post. The North Florida big men were clearly quicker and more athletic than the NJIT bigs, and were able to exploit the mismatch. Daniels and Davenport both easily eclipsed their season averages in points.

Junior guard Dallas Moore also had a huge game for UNF.  Not only did he post a double double with 21 points and 11 assists, Moore put his name into the North Florida record books.  In the first half, Moore became the all-time leading scorer in North Florida history. 

Sophomore guard Chris Jenkins led the way for the Highlanders with 16 points off the bench. Ky Howard added 13 for NJIT. The Highlanders will look to rebound with another important game on Saturday against Jacksonville.